Life Partner
by LennyAngel
Summary: When Gaara is forced to get a pet, he gets more than that. He gets a life partner. GaaraXOC
1. A pet

This is set when Gaara is around 25ish. Temari is married to Skikamaru and living in Konoha. For the first part of the story she is visiting her two brothers and staying in a hotel. Kankuro is still a bachelor. It is rated T (used to be K+) because of the violence in Meiko's past.

On with the show!

---

The woman on top of him gave a contented sigh and nuzzled his neck. He unwrapped one of his arms from her waist and started scratching her ear. The purring was instant. Smiling, Gaara remembered the events that led to him meeting his life partner.

---

Temari burst into the Kazekage office. Gaara didn't look up. She stomped right up to desk and slammed a hand on it. Gaara continued working. She coughed loudly. Gaara took a sip of coffee.

Temari caved.  
"You need a pet." She stated. That intrigued him. He looked up calmly.

"What?" the question was polite, as always.

"You need a pet." She re-stated. He looked at her.

"I see." He started shuffling papers. "And how exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

Pleased she had gotten him to engage in a conversation, Temari pulled up a chair.

"Me and Kankuro have been thinking." She said, sitting down.

"Kankuro and _I._" he corrected. She glared at him.

"Kankuro and _I _think you're lonely. I mean, you _are _living alone and since I moved to Konoha you've gotten thinner. I don't even know _how_ you could get any thinner but there you have it. So we decided you need a pet. A companion. A life partner."

Gaara looked at her. He mused over what she had said. After a while he finally answered.

"No." Temari bristled.

"What?!"

"No." he calmly repeated. "Pets are a nuisance." He continued. "I could be allergic for all we know because we have never had a pet before. Also, I couldn't possibly look after the creature because I am so busy with Kazekage duties. I'd have to leave it with a pet sitter for days on end and that would be an unnecessary cost. You claim that I am getting thinner but I fail to see how an animal can help me with my dietary intake unless you plan for me to eat it and that, dear sister, is sick. Furthermore animals don't live as long as humans therefore couldn't possibly be a _life_ partner. Now if you don't mind, I have a country to run." With that he turned back to mission documents.

An ANBU in the room let his jaw drop (thank goodness for the mask because gaping is a very un-ninja like thing to do). That was the most he had ever heard the Kazekage say in one go. Gaara may not talk a lot but when he did he fitted as much in as possible without breaking the image of a silent leader. It was a skill.

Temari stood. Gaara watched her leave happily. He had defeated her. Then her head popped round the corner.

"We're going to the animal shelter at 5pm. Don't be late!"

Gaara put his head in his hands. There was no winning against older sisters.

---

"Oh look, Gaara, this one is so cute." cried Temari. Gaara looked over. She was holding a tiny ginger kitten that was mewling happily at her. He was disappointed to see that Temari had fallen into the trap. Kankuro (who was currently cooing at the thing) he could understand, Kankuro was a softy, but Temari? Deciding it would be best to indulge her and have a look at the kitten, he stepped forward. The miniature cat immediately hissed and made a beeline for anywhere that wasn't near him. He sighed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little Gaara added a line to a tally. "26." It stated.

His brother looked at him sympathetically.

"Aww don't worry Gaara." He said placing a hand on his little brother's shoulder. "Maybe a dog?" Gaara smiled. His brother always tried to cheer him up. Giving him a small nod Gaara adjusted his focus towards his sister. She was nursing one of the more recent scratches. Well at least dogs don't have sharp claws. He mentally paused. But they did have teeth. And Temari was so touchy feely she was_ bound_ to hold one. And if he scared it……No, definitely not a dog.

---

They had tried mice, birds, gerbils, rabbits, cats, horses, even fish, but Gaara couldn't come within arm's length of any of them. He wouldn't have minded if it weren't for the fact that his siblings were trying to do something nice for him and he ruined it. That upset him. They were just leaving when a voice behind him said, "My! Your aura is _soaked _in blood."

Gaara froze. So did his brother and sister. As one, they turned around. A black cat was staring at them through a cage. A cage that hadn't been there before.

"Woah." Said Kankuro, adopting his 'eerie' voice. "Talking black cat in a cage that wasn't there before can see auras." The cat was staring at them. No, not them. _Him_. Gaara stared back. The cat started licking it's paw.

"Don't be so surprised." It said. "The cage was just out for cleaning. Besides, you're ninjas, right? Haven't you ever seen nin-pets or nin-summons or whatever?"

"Are you a nin-summon?" Temari spoke this time. The cat looked offended.

"Oh goodness no!" it gasped. "I don't go in for that fighting stuff." The cat looked back at Gaara. "Hey, Racoon eyes!" it said sweetly. Temari and Kankuro went rigid. Did the cat _know _who Gaara was? If it did it obviously wasn't scared. If it didn't then it was making some pretty good guesses. "You gonna stare all day or are you gonna come over here and scratch my ear?" Gaara's inner-eyebrows shot up. (Well he doesn't have any outer-eyebrows and if he did they certainly wouldn't shoot up.) The cat_ wanted_ him to go near it? Curious, he obliged. The cat started purring immediately.

"What's your name?" asked the cat after a minute or two of scratching. Gaara paused. No one in Suna had ever asked him his name. Good job it was pretty obvious how you are meant to reply.

"Gaara." He said.

"Nice to meet you, Gaara. I'm Meiko. And I asked you your name; I never said anything about stopping the scratching!" Gaara quickly resumed scratching. There was something about the cat that made him want to do what it said. What _she _said.

"Do you know who I am, Meiko-san?"

'San? Why did he put san? It's a cat!' thought Temari. 'Albeit a talking one.'

The cat giggled. "You are silly! Of course I know who you are." Gaara drooped inwardly. "You're Gaara!" finished the cat. Ah! So she didn't know he was Kazekage or that he had been 'Sabaku no Gaara'. He mentally shivered at the mere thought of the name. Good, she wasn't going to know the last bit either.

"So many unshed tears." The voice snapped Gaara back to the now. Meiko was staring at him intently. "But," she continued. "The worst thing," she paused coming up to the cage and nuzzling his fingers before looking back at him. "Is the loneliness." Time froze. She knew. She actually knew. "It's coming off you like heat of a radiator. Waves of it roll off you constantly. No wonder you were looking for a pet." Then she rolled onto her back, abruptly changing the mood. "Do you mind tickling my tummy? I like that." She said playfully. Gaara removed his fingers from the cage and left the room.

"You could've just said 'no'." said the cat, her voice coming out strained. She went to the back of the cage and curled up sadly.

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other. They were about to follow there brother when said brother re-appeared. One of the shelter's workers was with him. The worker went up Meiko's cage, opened the door and pulled the cat out.

"Uh…wha...what the?" she protested until the man dumped her in Gaara's arms.

"Eh?" said Meiko.

"Let's go." stated Gaara and left the shelter.

"Eh!" said Meiko. Gaara flipped her on to her back and started to scratch her tummy. She purred despite herself. It was only as they started walking through the streets of Suna that realisation dawned on her. She smiled. Then she snuggled into the warmth of his chest and relaxed into his touch.

Behind them, Temari and Kankuro shared a 'look' and smiled at each other. Mission accomplished.

---

This is a chapter story and the second chapter is already half done. Tell me what you think!

P.S- I will explain the whole talking cat thing


	2. Nightmares

Chapter 2

The way I am working this story is kind of weird. The main sort of memories will be put into the first few chapters. The actual 'Life Partner' will end but instead lots of other chapters will come afterwards. These chapters will have bits from Meiko's life before Gaara and bits from there lives together.

I'm also being extra cruel because the reason behind Meiko won't be explained until those later chapters. It just doesn't fit with the main bits. Sorry.

Now, shall we dance?

---

The woman made a few meeping noises and started to twitch. Gaara stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Sssh no more nightmares." He whispered. "No more nightmares."

---

When they got home it was late, very late.

"Mmm, you live a long, long, long, long, long, long, long….." the cat trailed off. Gaara looked down at her. She was curled up in his arms sound asleep. He presumed the way she meant to finish the sentence was something along the lines of 'distance away from the animal shelter.' It had been a bit of walk he had to admit. Two hours. Moderate really. One of those two hours had been spent full of purring and lots of animated talking about home. Well on Meiko's part. The other hour had been spent getting quieter and quieter until she had finally drifted into silence, except for the purring.

---

Gaara took her up to the spare room. He had never had a pet before but he had had guests, and guests stayed in the guest bedroom. (Well duh!)

He tucked in the bed and turned the lights off. Meiko murmured blearily, she didn't like the loss of warmth. The door clicked shut and he retired to his bedroom. He started reading some mission statements and checking over supply lists.

---

"_Kaoru-niichan?" she called, voice wavering. Her pale feet took tiny steps. The nightdress she had on was __white, far too white. It should be dirty, she remembered that. But here everything was wrong._

_The world was pitch black. Everything was far too quiet. She willed her heart to beat slower and quieter, in case_ he_ should hear. She stepped forward and tripped on something. She fell and landed in something wet. The smell made her realise what it was before sight. That metallic smell that made her gut wrench. Panic flooded her and her breathing sped. She turned around. And screamed. The twisted, cut of corpse of a woman, vaguely familiar to her, was under her feet. She scrabbled away and clamped a hand over her mouth. Had _he _heard? But no sound had come out. The scream had shaken her entire body but it never passed her lips. Good._

_She continued walking, looking for her brother. Then she saw him. He was standing, looking at her sadly but smiling. She rushed up to hug him but was stopped. Bars. Floating in the air. She couldn't get passed. She reached a pale thin arm through and her brother held her hand. She smiled. A single tear fell from his eye. Then the booming started and wordless yelling. She screamed and this time sound came out. It echoed around them, stinging her ears and making her cry. Her brother was sinking into the floor. __Ripples of water, no, blood, were sent from his feet, ankles, shins, knees. He was sinking to fast! She wouldn't be able to say goodbye._

"_Kaoru-niichan!" she yelled, screamed, begged. He smiled softly at her._

"_Run." He said calmly. "Run." And then he disappeared and the booming got louder and she was screaming and something was shaking her and_

"Meiko-san, Wake Up!" Gaara was shaking her. She stared at him, tears rolling down her cheek. Then she jumped at his chest and started sobbing, her little body shaking uncontrollably.

"Don't let him hurt me. Please, please, _please _don't let him hurt me." Gaara was in shock. Not only had he come in to find the cat struggling in the sheets and screaming her head off, now she was actually seeking comfort from him. _Him! _No one had _ever _done that before. He had no idea what to do. So he sat there, supporting the cat against his chest and stroking her back. It seemed to work because she calmed down. Snuffling lightly, she looked up at him.

"Can I sleep in your bed?" he nodded. And she smiled.

---

"Don't you sleep?" he shook his head. "Oh." She sounded upset. Next thing he knew, a warm body was curled up on his lap. He looked down. Meiko nuzzled his thigh then seemed to fall straight to sleep. He smiled, he didn't know why, he just did. Then he started to scratch her head and continued working. He found it a lot easier now that the cat was with him. Odd, that.

---

Well that's the end of chapter 2. I know I said to some reviewers that I wouldn't update for a few days and then updated on the same day I said that. Sorry. I hope you liked the chapter enough to forgive me.


	3. Eggs and Bacon

Chapter 3

I decided not to be cruel so Meiko will be explained an ickle bit in this chapter.

Lights, camera, BREAKFAST!

Gaara slipped out from underneath the woman. She murmured unhappily, disliking the lack of warmth. He kissed her forehead again and then headed downstairs. Today he would make bacon and eggs for breakfast. He smiled. A memory filtered into his mind.

---

Meiko woke up curled on a pillow.

'?' she thought. She sat up. And smelt bacon.

'Mmmmm' she got up and wandered downstairs.

---

Gaara had a knack for cooking. He didn't know where he got it from. His father had never cooked, they had servants for that, and as far as he knew his mother didn't cook much either. When he looked at his siblings he was confused even more. Kankuro never attempted to cook and Temari managed to burn everything she attempted. _Everything._ But Gaara just seemed to have the 'touch'.

"Goooooooooooood Mornin'!" a cheery voice rang out. It sounded like Meiko's but it was lacking the mew. He turned around slowly. A woman in a silver nighty was sitting at the kitchen table rubbing her eyes blearily. The strap on her right side had slipped off her shoulder slightly. She had long, blue hair and a round face. She was pretty. Gaara had never seen her before in his entire life. She stopped rubbing her eyes and looked up. Her eyes were big and a brilliant green. They sparkled at him. Then he noticed the pupils. The sort of pupils generally associated with cats. Had Shukaku eaten that much of his sanity? He took a deep breath.

"Meiko-san?" he ventured. She nodded. He continued. "Are you aware you now look human?" she laughed.

"Of course I am, silly! How dumb do you think I am?" she stated. He stared at her. She stared back.

"Are you going to explain?" he asked, eventually. She shrugged.

"Apparently it runs in the family." She said. "The ability to control ones form. I read it at a family library. They say it ranges from being able to change your complete appearance to just being able to change your clothes I come under the animal category. But I can only change into a cat as you can probably guess from my eyes. But I can also change my clothes. They are always clean when I change into them. They have to be clothes I own though and they also have to be in a special chest of drawers. But no matter how muddy they are when I change out of them, they always come back clean! It's very handy. That's why when I change into a cat my clothes don't fall off and when I change back, I'm not naked. Man, I'm hungry." The last sentence was said with a huge stretch. A very cat like stretch. She got up and walked over to him. She still moved like a cat. She frowned when she looked at the pan.

"There's only one egg and one slice of bacon!" She exclaimed. He nodded. "That's not enough for two people!" He nodded again. "It's not even enough for one person!" He looked at her, questioningly.* She looked back innocently. "I eat at _least_ 2 slices eggs and 3 slices of bacon. And you are way too skinny; you need to eat at least 2 eggs and 1 slice of bacon, maybe 2." She stated. He shook his head.

"This is plenty. I presumed you were a cat, you can have the cat food in the cupboard." A low, angry mewl was his reply. He looked over. Her eyes were narrowed to slits. The look she was giving him was venomous. He had to admit, he was a little scared. When she spoke, her voice was cold and menacing.

"_I.__**want.**__.eggs."_

---

Gaara watched his 'cat' devour 4 slices of bacon and 3 eggs. She had also forced him to have another egg. He'd finished one and as halfway through his bacon and struggling._ She_ was already licking her plate. She looked at him. Her eyes gleamed with evil. She smiled at him sweetly.

"Finish your bacon and the other egg," she said cloyingly. "Or I'll ram it down your throat with a sledge hammer." How she could say something so murderous with a gentle smile on her face was beyond Gaara. He couldn't even manage a gentle smile. There was another thing that confused him.

"If you're human, how did you end up in an _animal_ shelter?" he asked. Her face went serious.

"I was in cat form when some drunks started kicking me around, for laughs. I was winded to badly to change back and that probably wouldn't have stopped 'em. They probably would've done worse then. Then one brought out a knife." She stopped, her face darkening. Gaara noticed a fine, pale white scar running from her collarbone down underneath her nighty. The shadow lifted and she continued, "Some girl found me and took me to the shelter. I was too weak to change back for a week or two and by the time I was stronger enough, I didn't really want to. I mean, I had no home to go back to and there I had food, shelter and company. The shelter workers mistook me for a nin-what-cha-ma-call-it so they didn't mind the talking. And no one really wanted a grown up cat, they all want kittens so I was going to be there a while. But you came along and now I'm here!" she finished brightly. He looked at her. So now he had a pet person? That was going to be hard to explain. Suddenly the woman-Meiko wasn't there and a black cat was rubbing it's cheek against his fingers. He smiled and started to scratch her head. The purring started immediately. She put her paws on his cheeks and looked him in the eyes.

"My, what pretty eyes you have." She said. A very, _very_ faint blush appeared on Gaara's cheeks. Meiko nuzzled his chin.

"I don't really have a home to go to." She said. "And it would be nice to stay here. I could help round the house and keep you company. I could go get a job and pay rent, if you like. I could even stay in cat form all the time I'm with you. Just, _please_, let me stay here." Gaara picked her up. He held her against his chest.

"I like your company. Don't worry about anything else." She smiled and snuggled into his chest. He could feel her purring as well as hear it. He smiled too. He secretly thanked his siblings. Life was good.

---

The third chapter COMPLETE. What did you think? Oh and for those of you who are wondering why Meiko is a _black _cat when she has _blue_ hair, well have you ever seen a naturally blue cat? I didn't think so. I mean talking cats and women who can turn into to cats makes sense but a _blue _cat? Come on people don't be silly.

*have you ever noticed that Gaara's face always looks blank, except when he is really angry or really something or other? Well I put words to explain his expression but to the ordinary eye, his face still looks blank. I just put it there to help. I can't write 'he looked at her blankly' all the time because it would seem like he didn't understand anything. So far in this story the only people who can interpret his facial features are Temari, Kankuro and Meiko.


	4. Life partner

Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Finally updating. Sorry about the wait but something funny happened and I couldn't log in. Every time I tried to it said: "to view this page you must be logged in." it wouldn't even let **go** to the log in page! Weird.

Anyway, go on and read to your heart's content!

---

The woman wandered downstairs and wrapped her arms round his waist, resting her head on his back. He smiled.

"Don't forget about lunch today."

He nodded.

"It's bring a dish so you don't have to cook."

He nodded.

"Everyone is going to be there."

He nodded.

"_You_ are going to be there as well." This was said in the same voice as one stating an undeniable fact. He sighed. At social gatherings he often tended to have 'important business' to see to. Unfortunately, his wife knew that. He turned around and gave her a gentle kiss.

---

After two years they had become almost inseparable. People had gotten used to seeing them together. They had also gotten used to seeing Meiko turn into a cat at random moments. They were used to seeing their Kazekage smile more and even laugh.

He had been Kazekage for a long time before he met Meiko but the people were never comfortable around him. Now they came up to him with questions, jokes and general good tidings. Children gave him drawings. Ninja happily spoke to him about professional and personal problems. One young shinobi even broke down in tears once. But not because of Gaara, Not because they were afraid. (The same shinobi later gave him a basket of fruit as a 'thank you' for helping him out and not thinking less of him for sobbing.) No one was afraid of him anymore. Because they saw him and Meiko together and thought 'If he can put up with her, what can't he put up with?'

---

One day they went to collect special sand berries that although technically grow underground, are known as a fruit because they create a cavern underground to grow in therefore don't actually grow _in_ soil. They were collecting some for Meiko's now famous Sand Berry Pie. Described in her own words, "It's the only thing I can bake but by golly I bake it well!".  
She was quieter than usual. He was very worried she was sick. He was very worried because last time she was sick the house nearly went up in flames. He watched her as she sat on the ground and motioned for him to do the same. He did. She reached out, cupped his face and turned it towards her. She looked straight into his eyes. Her looked straight back and saw something in them he didn't recognise. Her eyes were glowing with it. He wondered what it could be.

"Gaara," she said, dropping her hands to her sides. "I'm not afraid of you." The statement shocked him.  
"I never was and I never will be." Her words meant more to him then even he knew.  
"You know about my past, you're the only one who does. I may not be the only person who knows about your past but I know the whole jigsaw while some people only know pieces. That means a lot to me." He stared at her. It was true she was the only one he felt comfortable enough with to open up to. Even so, he wondered why she would suddenly start saying this.  
"Gaara, I know saying it won't mean much to you." She continued. "So I am going to describe it to you." Describe what? He had no idea what she was talking about.  
"You were the first person after my brother to not see me as a freak or something to be wary of when you found out about my ability. You are the only person I feel I can be myself with. And I really _want_ to be myself around you. You have shown me a kindness that I never knew existed and opened up a world to me that is larger than anything I could have imagined. When I'm with you, there is nothing to worry about. I know I'm safe. Because of that I feel comfortable around other people. " She paused. She glanced down shyly but then worked up the courage to look him in the eye again. She smiled softly at him.  
"Whenever I'm afraid or unsure, your mere touch can help me feel alright again. I want to be able to give you that comfort. When I'm with you I feel content. My world seems so complete when you are near. My thoughts go a little haywire each time you smile at me. I want to return the favour. Everyone is born for a purpose. And I found my purpose. It's to be with you. It was so we could meet. Even if you never return my feelings, as long as I can ensure you are happy, ensure your smile, then my life is worth while. I _want _to make you happy. I want to make you feel as happy as you make me feel. I want to share in every good moment in your life and help see you through every bad moment. But even if all I can do is stand back and watch from a far, as long as you are happy, so am I." she fell into silence. Then she turned her head away and whispered. "I love you, Gaara. I undeniable, unwaveringly love you. Always."

A before unknown happiness ignited inside of Gaara. It exploded and bubbled over the edges, leaking out. The relief-filled joy travelled down his cheeks and dripped off his chin. He smiled and leant forward to pull her into an embrace.  
"Thank you." He whispered into her hair. "Thank you." She started to laugh then hugged back. They both knew they would never leave each other alone.  
Because they shared so much.  
Because each of them knew so much about the other.  
Because their pasts were similar.  
Because they wanted their futures to be similar.  
Because they loved each other.  
Because they were life partners.

---

Believe it or not, this is not the end of the story. The next chapter will be because I need to wrap some things up. Hope you liked it and I also hope it was worth the wait, to those of you who have been waiting. The next chapter is in the oven and should be up soon if doesn't decide to hate me again.


End file.
